


Tears, Smiles, and Ice Candy

by Toku_fangirl_2015



Series: The Continuing Adventures of Angry Bird Man [4]
Category: Kamen Rider - All Media Types, Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, Kamen Rider OOO, Kamen Rider W, Tokusatsu
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mystery, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:35:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26062009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toku_fangirl_2015/pseuds/Toku_fangirl_2015
Summary: Ankh and Eiji deal with the fallout from the creation of the Others, with help from some other Riders.
Relationships: Ankh & Hino Eiji & Izumi Hina, Ankh/Hino Eiji
Series: The Continuing Adventures of Angry Bird Man [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825666
Comments: 38
Kudos: 25





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is a direct sequel to ["Revival, New Friends, Old Enemies."](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25201633/chapters/61079833) For those of you just jumping in: Ankh is back, he and Eiji are together, and they just fought a man named Emperor Chaos who created human-Yummy hybrids. The ones who weren't destroyed in the final battle are no longer under his control, and are calling themselves the Others.

Hina’s heart broke when she saw the two girls huddled together in the back of the cold, damp cave. She and Shingo were leading everyone to safety. Of the more than four dozen people who had been taken as part of Emperor Chaos’ schemes, they were the only children. Most of the men and women were in their twenties or thirties, though there were a few older adults. “Hello,” she said, kneeling down to be eye level with the two girls. “My name is Izumi Hina. I’ve come to take you home. What are your names?”

The younger girl stared at her. The older girl put her arm around the other girl’s shoulder and answered for both of them. “I’m Takahashi Naoko, and this is Sato Keiko.”

“You’re not sisters?” Hina asked, surprised.

Naoko shook her head. “ We’re neighbors,” she explained. “That bat-monster thing brought me here eighteen days ago, and he brought Keiko the next day. I’ve been looking out for her.” Keiko nodded wordlessly in agreement.

“It’s all right now,” Hina assured them. “We’ll get you back to your families. They must be worried sick.” 


	2. Day 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naoko and Keiko both have horrible parents, for different reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: child abandonment, mentions of self-harm

**Day 18**

The other Naoko opened the door and saw herself standing there. A girl, ten years old, dark eyes and hair, a dimple in her left cheek and a birthmark next to her nose. She was dressed in clothes that hadn’t been washed in several weeks. The other had been expecting this day to come ever since she’d been sent to Naoko’s house as her replacement. “You’re back,” she said flatly.

Naoko gaped. “What did you do to your _hair_?” she cried. It was chopped unevenly somewhere around shoulder-length. Naoko’s hair fell halfway down her back. The two girls were identical in every other sense.

The other shrugged. “I just did it today,” she said. “They haven’t seen it yet. I was wondering if they’d even notice.”

“Oh.” Naoko’s face fell. “Mom and Dad are still as busy as ever, then.”

A bitter laugh. “They haven’t even noticed that _I’m_ not _you_.” She took perverse pleasure in the anguish that crossed Naoko’s features. She turned to the man who accompanied Naoko. “Who are _you_?”

“Officer Izumi Shingo,” he explained. “I came to bring Naoko back home.” He paused. “Emperor Chaos is dead.”

The other nodded. “I figured as much,” she said. “He was controlling all of us, and then all of a sudden I felt his influence disappear.”

A woman came over to Shingo, a girl of about five clutching her hand. “Keiko’s parents aren’t home,” she reported.

The younger girl looked between Naoko and the other, eyes wide. “Look, Hina-san!” she told the woman. “There’s _two_ Naoko-neesans!”

“ _Her_ parents knew something was wrong,” the other Naoko said, pointing at the younger girl. “They took her to the hospital after she skinned her knee last week. I haven’t seen them since.”

Naoko blinked. “They took her to the hospital over a _skinned knee_?”

A shrug. “The orange blood kinda freaked them out.”

“Orange blood?” Naoko repeated.

“Mine’s orange too,” her double said. “I checked.”

Naoko’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “What do you mean, you _checked_?” Shingo and Hina exchanged a worried glance.

“If _I’m_ the copy,” the other said with a glare, “how come _you’re_ the one repeating everything I say?”

Shingo put a hand on her shoulder. “I think you’d better come with us,” he said.

She shoved his hand away. “I’m not going with the police! I haven’t _done_ anything!”

He shook his head. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he assured her. “You’re not in trouble. But…we _do_ need to find a…place for you. Now that Naoko is back.”

She glared at him. “I don’t need you to do anything for me. I’ll be fine on my own.” She turned to Naoko. “Have your stupid life back. I don’t want it anymore.” She pushed past them all and ran down the street.

“Wait!” Hina called, running after her.

The girl was not surprised when Hina caught up to her. She _was_ surprised, however, when Hina grabbed her from behind and held her in a grip she couldn’t even begin to break. “Let me go!” she cried. As she struggled, the long sleeves of her shirt pushed up to her elbows.

“Only if you promise not to run away again,” Hina said. She looked down at the girl’s arm and saw the set of angry lines that had been covered by her sleeve. “This…is this what you meant? When you said you checked?”

“Let me _go_!” the girl repeated firmly, her glare hot enough to melt steel. “Why should you care, anyway?”

“We should have a doctor look at those cuts,” Hina said gently. “I want to make sure they’re not infected.”

“I _told_ you, I don’t _need_ your help! I don’t need _anyone’s_ help!” She struggled briefly before slumping forward. “Just…just let me go.”

Hina shook her head. “I can’t do that,” she said. “Everyone needs help, sometimes. It’s okay to admit it.” She dropped her arms. The girl backed away, but didn’t run off again.

Shingo came over to them, Keiko in tow. “Are you okay, Naoko-neesan?” Keiko asked.

The girl hastily pulled her sleeve back down. “I’m not Naoko,” she said. “You can call me…you can call me Rena.”

“Oh. Okay,” Keiko said. “Do you know where my mommy and daddy are, Rena?”

After a long moment, Rena nodded. “They took your double to Seito University Hospital.”

Hina’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s…pretty far away, isn’t it?”

Shingo grinned. “They have a reputation for dealing with unusual diseases,” he reminded her. “After that epidemic a few years ago, when people kept disappearing after playing video games.”

“Oh, right,” Hina said. “Well, if that’s where they are, we’d better get going.”

Rena glared at them all. “I’m _not_ going with you.”

“Okay,” Shingo said casually. “Take care, Rena. It was nice meeting you.” He took Keiko’s hand and turned to go.

“Onii-chan!” Hina cried, horrified.

Rena’s mouth dropped open. “You’re really going to just…let me leave?”

“You _said_ you don’t need our help,” Shingo said, eyes sparkling with amusement. He turned to Hina. “Unless you’re going to carry her to the car, I don’t think we can _make_ her go.”

“I absolutely _can_ carry—” Hina began.

“Since it’s such a long drive,” Shingo interrupted her, “I thought we could stop for ice cream on the way. But I don’t think Rena would want that, either.” He began walking away.

“Hey, wait a minute!” Rena protested, running to catch up.

Hina stifled a laugh. “So _that_ was your plan,” she whispered.

“Reverse psychology,” Shingo murmured back.

“Take me too,” Rena demanded. “And I want a double scoop.”

**

Emu walked through the hospital’s long, brightly-lit hallway, making his rounds. Next up was…Sato Keiko. Her parents had brought her to the hospital ten days ago, claiming she’d been acting strangely. Her vitals were normal, and she was perfectly healthy…except, for some inexplicable reason, her blood was bright orange. He saw Keiko in the hallway outside her room, holding the hand of a man he’d never met before. “Keiko-chan!” he called cheerfully. “It’s good to see you up and about.”

Keiko usually greeted him with a smile and wave. This time, however, she eyed him suspiciously. “Who are you?” she asked.

“Are you Keiko’s doctor?” the man asked.

He nodded. “Doctor Houjou Emu. Who are you?”

The man pulled out a detective’s badge. “Officer Izumi Shingo,” he introduced himself. “I…” He stopped. “How do I explain this?”

The door to Keiko’s room opened, and a woman stuck her head out. “Mommy!” Keiko shouted, abandoning Shingo’s hand and running to her mother. She threw her arms around the woman’s knees.

“Keiko?” Mrs. Sato cried in shock. “But…you…” She looked into the room, where a girl who appeared identical to her daughter lay in the hospital bed. Down at the girl holding her tightly. Back at the girl on the bed. “How is this possible?” she whispered.

“What is it, dear?” Keiko’s father asked. Wordlessly, Mrs. Sato gestured to the girl next to her. He did a similar double-take. “What is going on?” Mr. Sato demanded.

Shingo cleared his throat and introduced himself to Keiko’s parents. “Your daughter was involved in a string of kidnappings perpetrated by an organization that sent a…replacement to your home in her place.”

Mrs. Sato’s mouth dropped open. “So…that _thing_ there…” she asked, pointing at the hospital bed. “Is it, like, a robot, or an alien, or, or some kind of _monster_ …?”

“ _She_ is my _patient_ ,” Emu said firmly.

“What did I tell you!” Keiko’s father said triumphantly. “I _knew_ she wasn’t our daughter! Haven’t I been saying all along, ‘She’s not Keiko’?”

Keiko walked over to the bed, watching the other girl intently. “Hello,” Keiko said to her copy.

“Hi,” the other girl said back. “Who’re you?”

“I’m Sato Keiko. Have you been with my mommy and daddy?”

The other girl nodded. “I’m Not-Keiko,” she said. “Are…are you the real Keiko?”

Keiko nodded. “I think so.”

“Oh.” The girl looked away, downcast.

Mr. Sato bent down and picked his daughter up. “Well, I guess we’ll be going, then. Come on, dear.” His wife nodded. They turned away from the girl in the hospital bed and walked away without a second glance.

Emu stepped in front of them. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Keiko’s mother stepped around him. “We’re taking our daughter home. That thing is your problem now.”

“Wait just a minute!” Shingo protested. “You can’t just leave her here. That’s child endangerment.”

“You just said that she’s not our child,” Keiko’s father pointed out. “Legally, that one doesn’t even exist.” He ruffled Keiko’s hair. “Come on, darling,” she said. “Let’s get you home.”

“Wait!” the other girl called after them frantically. “Mama! Papa!”

Keiko looked back at her double. “Why are we leaving her?” she asked her parents desperately. “She can come, too. She can share my toys and my pajamas, and…and she can have my sleeping bag, and…”

Keiko’s mother patted her daughter’s shoulder. “She’s been nothing but trouble,” she said gently. “This is for the best.” Keiko looked apologetically at her double as she was carried from the room.

“Come back!” the double cried. “Don’t leave me!” She burst into tears.

For the first time, Emu had to remind himself of the oath he’d taken when he became a doctor: _First, do no harm._ He watched Shingo take off down the hallway after them, and then turned to the sobbing girl in the bed. His first priority had to be his patient. “It’ll be all right,” he murmured, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.

A girl who looked to be about ten years old walked into the room, with a woman in her early thirties right behind her. “Hey,” the older girl said.

The younger girl sniffled. “Naoko?” she asked.

The older girl shook her head. “Naoko’s the _real_ one,” she said. “I’m Rena now.”

Introductions and a hasty explanation followed. “You’re taking this all very well,” Hina commented as she finished the story of Emperor Chaos and his copied humans.

Emu shrugged. “I spend most of my time in the CR, trying to cure people who’ve been infected by a computer virus that makes them disappear,” he pointed out.

“Don’t you care that we’re not human?” Rena demanded.

Emu shook his head. “Some of my best friends aren’t human either. And, before everything else, both of you are my patients.”

“Both of them?” Hina asked. Emu nodded firmly.

“Oh, goody,” Rena said sarcastically. “A plastic mattress and hospital food. What more could I ask for?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so my first few stories were mostly written before I started posting them...now everyone can see how slow I actually write. I'm going to try to do one chapter a week but...we'll see how it goes. LOL.


	3. Day 21

**Day 21**

Eiji and Ankh walked down the hall at Seito University Hospital, towards the room where the two Other girls were staying. “I hope they’re all right,” Eiji said, worried. For once, Ankh didn’t ask why Eiji cared.

Ankh pushed open the door to the girls’ room. The older girl sat reading a manga. The younger girl was watching something on television, a bright red teddy bear clutched to her chest.

“Hello,” Eiji said brightly.

Rena looked at Eiji and glared. “Who are you?”

“Oh, that’s right…” Eiji said. “You wouldn’t know me, would you? I’m Hino Eiji, and this is Ankh,” he introduced. “We’re friends of Shingo and Hina’s.”

“Good for you,” the girl said. She went back to her book.

Ankh smirked. “Nice hair,” he said to her. It was still chopped unevenly around her shoulders.

She put down her book and looked at the two of them. “What do you _want_?”

“We just wanted to see how you’re doing, Rena,” Eiji said.

She glared again. “Why do you care? Why does _anyone_ care what happens to me? I just want to be left alone!” She picked up her book again, pointedly ignoring them.

Eiji walked over to the younger girl’s bed. “What’s your name?” he asked.

“I’m Not-Keiko,” she said.

“I know you’re not Keiko,” Eiji said. “So who are you?”

Rena snorted. “Keiko’s parents brought her here when they figured out she was _different._ They kept telling the doctor, ‘She’s not Keiko.’ So now this dummy thinks ‘Not-Keiko’ is her name.”

“Oh…I see…” Eiji said.

“Have you seen my mommy and daddy?” the little girl asked hopefully. “Can you tell them to come back for me?”

“Stop asking for them!” Rena snapped. “I told you, you don’t _have_ a mommy and daddy! Only _humans_ have parents, and _we’re not human_!”

The girl’s face fell. She looked so lost and alone, like a baby bird that had fallen from its nest. Ankh had a sudden, strange impulse to…comfort her? Help her? Anything to get that pathetic look off of her face. For the first time, he understood why his idiot was always rushing off to save people.

She sniffled. “Then…what are we?”

“You are whatever you want to be,” Ankh said imperiously. He looked between the two girls intently. “You _look_ human, so if that’s what you want to say you are, most people will believe you. But…you can be more, if you want. You can surpass humans and become your own unique form of life.”

The younger girl’s mouth dropped open. “Are…are you like us?” she asked.

Ankh’s smile was closer to sincere than most people would ever see. “Not quite, Tori-chan…but then again, I’m not really like anybody.”

“Tori-chan?” Eiji repeated, astonished.

“Dammit, I didn’t mean to say that out loud,” Ankh muttered. The name meant “little bird.”

The little girl pointed at herself. “Am I Tori-chan?” she asked.

Ankh shrugged. “If you want to be.”

She nodded, determined.

Rena looked at him thoughtfully. “What are you, then?”

He smirked. “I am a Greeed,” he explained. “Like you, I was created by a human whose ambition was to rule the world, and I was never meant to be anything more than a pawn in his schemes. But then this idiot—” he jerked his thumb towards Eiji—“decided we were _friends_ , and, well…” He shrugged. “I realized that was better.”

Eiji grinned and put his arm around Ankh’s shoulder. “That’s right,” he agreed. “It took you long enough to realize it, though.” He looked at the two girls. “I’d like to help you, two, if you want,” he told them.

“With what?” Rena asked skeptically.

“Anything,” Eiji said. “What is it that you want, Rena-chan?”

She glared at him. “I don’t want anything from you!”

“If you don’t know what you want, that’s all right too,” Eiji said gently. “I’ve been there myself, actually. I’ll help you figure out what it is.”

“Will you help me find my parents?” Tori asked.

Eiji nodded, determined. “I will _definitely_ find a family for you, Tori-chan,” he vowed.

**

Ankh and Eiji took the elevator up to Hina and Shingo’s apartment that evening. The doors opened to reveal a man waiting to get on with a stack of boxes on a dolly. Behind him, Hina was helping another man carry a tall bookshelf.

“Our neighbors are moving out,” Shingo explained. “Come on in.”

Hina returned shortly after. “You know,” she said, “I was thinking…wouldn’t it be nice if Eiji-kun and Ankh moved into that apartment?”

Shingo grinned. “That would be great!”

“Tch. So much for us being welcome here,” Ankh said with a smirk.

“Of course you’d still be welcome here!” Hina protested. “It’s just…I’m sure the two of you would like your own space.”

Ankh shrugged. “That’s what Chiyoko’s attic is for.”

“What do you think, Eiji?” Shingo asked.

“I…” Eiji looked uncertain. “I was thinking it would be fun to go traveling again…that is, as long as _you’d_ like to…?” He looked at Ankh anxiously.

“Tch!” Ankh said. “You can’t get rid of me that easily. If you want to leave, I’m going with you.”

Hina pouted. “But we _just_ got Ankh and Eiji-kun back!” she protested. “Don’t you want to settle down for a while, Eiji-kun?”

“I’d…probably have to get another job,” he admitted sheepishly. “How much is the rent here?”

Ankh suddenly remembered something. “Aren’t you still technically working for Kougami?” he asked. “How much is he paying you?”

“Uh…I don’t actually know,” Eiji admitted. “I never really asked.”

Ankh shoved Eiji with his shoulder. “Idiot!”

“How are the girls doing?” Hina asked.

Eiji sighed. “They’re lonely,” he said. “And hurting. Tori-chan is certain that she belongs with Keiko’s parents, but from what you told me, that’s not going to happen.”

“Keiko’s double named herself Tori-chan?” Hina asked.

“It was Ankh’s idea,” Eiji said.

Shingo grinned at him. “She remind you of someone?” he asked.

“Shut up!” Ankh snapped.

**Day 22**

Shingo climbed into the driver’s seat of his patrol car. His partner, Shijima Kiriko, was arguing with someone on the phone.

“What do you mean, ‘No’?” Kiriko asked, exasperated. “It could be the key to finally _fixing_ things!” She paused. “You’re not the only one, you know,” she said quietly. “We all want to see Chase again.” She ended the call and shook her head. “Brothers,” she said to Shingo, shaking her head.

He chuckled. “Sounds familiar.”

Kiriko sighed. “He’s just so…stubborn! And he won’t tell me what’s really going on! And he won’t accept help from anyone!”

“Sounds _very_ familiar,” Shingo said with a nod.

“Can we go and check on Spider?” Kiriko asked. “I tried calling him this morning and there was no answer.”

“Sure,” he said. They had been visiting all of the Others frequently, checking to see how they were settling in to their new lives. Shingo started the car and headed out.

“When you were growing up,” Kiriko asked, “did you and your twin ever pull pranks together? Did you try trading places or anything like that?”

Shingo chuckled. “We never tried that,” he said. “I don’t know if it would’ve been harder for me to act like Ankh, or for him to act like _me._ ”

They pulled up to the apartment complex where Spider and several of the rest of the Others were staying. Shingo went to knock on Spider’s door and saw that it was already open. “Spider?” he called.

“Spider?” Kiriko said. “It’s Officer Shijima and Officer Izumi. Are you all right?”

Kiriko went into the small kitchen. Shingo went into the apartment’s single bedroom. “Shijima-san…” he called. “You’d…better come see this.”

“What is it?” Kiriko asked, coming in behind him.

The rumpled bedding was covered in copper Cell Medals. There was no other sign of Spider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I may be hinting at something with Kiriko's conversation with Gou. ;-)  
> **  
> I am on the tumblr at [toku-fangirl-2015]().


	4. Day 23

**Day 23**

Shingo and Hina went along with Ankh and Eiji to visit the girls the next day. Emu was in their room when the four walked in. “Officer Izumi! Hina!” Emu called. “Good to see you again.”

“Are you Tori and Rena’s doctor?” Eiji asked. Emu nodded. “I’m Hino Eiji, and this is Ankh,” Eiji introduced.

“They were the ones who rescued Keiko and the others,” Shingo added.

“Nice to meet you,” Emu said.

There was a flash of light as someone else simply…appeared in the middle of the room. He seemed to form in a fraction of a second from tiny blocks. He was taller than Emu, and wore a black hoodie with long pink sleeves, purple pants with different-colored blocks along the bottom, and a wide smile.

Hina gasped. Ankh stared.

Emu shook his head. “Parad, we _talked_ about this,” he said patiently. “You can’t just go appearing in front of people like that.”

“But Rena and Tori have already _met_ me,” Parad pointed out. Then he noticed the others. “Oh! More visitors!”

Emu sighed. “That’s why,” he said.

“Hi, everyone!” Parad said with a smile and a wave. “I’m Emu’s Bugster.” He put an arm around Emu’s shoulder.

“Bugster?” Hina repeated.

Parad nodded. “The physical representation of a computer virus,” he explained. “Created by humans as part of a plan to rule the world.”

Ankh smirked. “You too, huh?”

Parad laughed. “You must be the one Rena told me about,” he said. “A…Greeed, right?” Ankh nodded. “Humans are the worst, aren’t they?”

“Hey!” Emu protested.

“’Cept you, of course,” Parad said.

Emu sighed again and shook his head. “I need to get back to my rounds,” he said. “Parad… _behave_ yourself.” He turned to the girls. “I’ll see you again later,” he promised, ruffling Tori’s hair. Then he walked out of the room.

“You’re no fun!” Parad called after him.

“Parad! Do the thing again!” Tori said. With a nod, Parad pixelated out of the middle of the room and onto the edge of Tori’s bed. Tori laughed. “That’s so cool,” she said. “Don’t you wish _we_ could do that, Rena?”

Rena shrugged. “You came back,” she said to Ankh and Eiji.

Eiji nodded. “I told you we would.”

Rena frowned. “You didn’t have to.”

“We had nothing better to do today,” Ankh told her. She smirked at that.

“How’s the book you were reading?” Eiji asked.

She shrugged again. “Finished it,” she said. “Emu-sensei got it for me from the gift shop, but they didn’t have the next volume.”

“What’s the title?” Eiji asked. “There’s a bookstore in my neighborhood; they might have the next one.”

Rena flushed, embarrassed. “I’ve…kind of been…continuing the story myself,” she admitted. “Parad got me some paper and a pencil, and I’ve been drawing what I want to happen next.”

“Oh!” Eiji said. “You’re an artist? That’s great! May I see your drawings?”

She looked away. “They’re…not that good,” she mumbled.

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Eiji said. “But you don’t have to show me if you don’t want to.”

She looked at Eiji, considering. “Maybe next time.”

Eiji nodded. “We’ll definitely come visit again.”

**Day 24**

Shingo and Kiriko pored over the details surrounding Spider’s death. None of the Others had seen or heard anything suspicious. They all visited each other so frequently that it wasn’t uncommon for them to leave their doors unlocked—a practice which, upon learning about it, Kiriko had strongly advised against. “Forensics said they hadn’t found any evidence of foul play, right?” Kiriko asked.

Shingo nodded. “We don’t really have a motive, either,” he said.

“Someone with a grudge against the Others?” she suggested.

He shook his head. “We’ve kept their _existence_ pretty quiet,” he pointed out, “never mind where they live.” They sat in silence for a while.

“Spider was the oldest of the Others,” Kiriko said thoughtfully, looking at her list with everyone’s names, locations, and dates of creation.

“He was only twenty-two,” Shingo protested.

Kiriko shook her head. “I mean he was the first one created,” she explained. “Exactly forty-five days before his death.”

“Let me see?” Shingo asked. Kiriko slid the list across the desk to him. “You’re right,” he confirmed. “It looks like the next oldest one is…here.” He pointed to another name. “She was created…forty-three days ago.” He looked at Kiriko. “Do you think…is it possible that he died because his body just…wore out?”

Kiriko’s already-solemn face turned grim. “I sincerely hope not,” she said.

**

Ankh, Eiji, and Hina took Tori and Rena to a playground around the corner from the hospital. Tori was having the time of her life, first sliding down the slide and then crawling through the tunnels. Rena stood off to the side with Ankh and Eiji. “This is dumb,” she complained.

Eiji looked at her. “See that over there?” he asked, pointing to a large jungle gym shaped like a half-sphere. “I bet Ankh can climb to the top before you count to ten.”

“No way,” Rena protested. “All the way to the top?” He nodded.

Ankh glared at him. “Who says I want to?”

“Well, if you don’t think you _can_ …” Eiji teased.

“Start counting,” Ankh said. He took off towards the jungle gym.

“…Seven, eight, nine, _ten!_ ” Rena called just as Ankh reached the very top. She stared up at him. “How did you do that?”

He dropped down gracefully between the bars and walked back over to them. “I’m part bird,” he said nonchalantly.

Hina ran past them. Tori was sitting on her shoulders, laughing wildly. “More, more!” she cried. Hina picked her up, tossed her into the air, and caught her. “Again!” Tori begged.

Rena stared after them. “What about Hina?” she asked.

“I still have no idea,” Ankh admitted.

They walked over to the benches at the edge of the park. Ankh perched on the back, and after a moment’s consideration, Eiji joined him. He nearly toppled backwards, but Ankh flung an arm out and grabbed him. “Idiot,” he chided.

Eiji chuckled. “I should’ve been more careful,” he admitted. He tried again, more slowly this time, and managed to find his balance.

Rena sat on the seat of the bench next to theirs. “You two are weird,” she informed them.

“It’s more fun that way,” Eiji said.

Tori ran over to them, Hina following behind. “I need a break,” Hina said breathlessly, sitting down next to Rena.

Tori looked up at Ankh. “Will you push me on the swings?” she asked.

“Tch!” Ankh scoffed.

Tori saw his grimacing face and _giggled_ at it. “Bet you can’t catch me!” she called, running off again.

“ _How_ does she have so much _energy_?” Hina cried, still trying to catch her breath.

Eiji watched as Ankh ran after Tori, scooped her up, and sat her down on a swing. “Push me so high!” Tori said. Ankh began to push the swing higher and higher. “I’m flying!” Tori shouted.

Eiji chuckled. “If I didn’t know any better,” he said, “I’d say Ankh was enjoying himself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't have Emu without Parad! This was a fun chapter to write. 
> 
> **  
> Find me on Tumblr: [toku-fangirl-2015](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/toku-fangirl-2015)


	5. Day 25

**Day 25**

Kougami was piping swirls of icing around the top edge of a cake when Eiji and Ankh walked in. “Good afternoon, Hino Eiji!” he called after a glance in their direction. “What can I do for you?”

“Hello, Kougami-san,” Eiji said. “I was wondering how much, exactly, you’re paying us for the work we did in defeating Emperor Chaos.”

“And _when_ we’re getting paid,” Ankh added.

Eiji nodded in agreement. “That too.”

“Satonaka-kun!” Kougami boomed.

“Yes, sir,” she said, pulling out her calculator.

“Let’s see…” Kougami began. “You defeated all three of his lieutenants, and the emperor himself, and rescued fifty-six people. That comes out to…”

Satonaka showed Eiji the number on her calculator. His eyes boggled. “Th-thank you, sir,” he stammered. “That’s very generous of…”

“Minus,” Kougami interrupted, “the cost of research and development for recreating the OOO Driver and new Core Medals, the grant we gave to Daitenku Temple, and five percent of the damage done to our buildings during the battles.”

“Oi!” Ankh protested. “We weren’t fighting anywhere _near_ here!”

Kougami went back to his cake. “The Foundation owns property all over the city,” he said casually. “Quite a few buildings, actually.”

Satonaka showed Eiji the new number. This time he winced.

“Satonaka-kun, what are our current job openings?” Kougami asked.

She considered for a moment. “We could use more help on the janitorial staff,” she said.

“Excellent!” Kougami boomed. “Hino-kun, you may work here part-time to pay off your debt. At twenty hours a week, it should only take you four or five years.”

“Yes, sir,” Eiji said miserably. He bowed forward. “Thank you.”

Kougami chuckled good-naturedly. “I’ll see you first thing on Monday morning, then.”

Ankh was scowling as they took the elevator back to the ground floor. “There go our travel plans.”

Eiji shrugged nonchalantly. “We’ll have more time to decide where we want to go now.”

“Idiot!” he spat at Eiji. “Why didn’t you learn all the details beforehand? You can’t talk to someone like him unless you know how to negotiate!”

“It doesn’t matter,” Eiji said.

“Of course it does!” Ankh spluttered. “If you’d known how much it was going to cost…”

“My answer would have been the same,” Eiji said. “It was worth it to bring you back.”

“Tch!” Ankh looked away so Eiji wouldn’t see the smile he was fighting to hide. Every day, it got a little easier to believe that Eiji really meant it.

**Day 26**

Eiji handed Rena a bag from an art supply store. “Hina-chan helped me pick these out,” he explained. “She’s a fashion designer, so she draws a lot, too.”

Rena pulled out a sketchbook, a pack of mechanical pencils, and a set of pens. “Thanks,” she said with a small smile. “Would you…would you like to see some of my drawings?”

“Sure!” Eiji said.

Ankh walked over to Tori’s bed, holding out a bag from the same store. “Here,” he said.

Tori pulled out the coloring book and giant set of crayons they’d chosen for her. “Thank you!” she cried. Ankh froze when Tori threw her arms around him. Awkwardly, he patted her small head.

Tori immediately began flipping through the book, looking for a page to color. As she opened up the crayon box, Ankh wandered back over towards Eiji and Rena. “This is the main character from the manga,” Rena explained. “He’s the new boy at school. This girl was his childhood friend,” she said, showing them another drawing. “And this one is their teacher turning into a monster.”

Eiji chuckled at that. “She’s not very nice, huh?”

Rena shrugged. “There’s _someone_ at their school who turns into a monster, but they haven’t figured out who it is yet. I think it’s the teacher.”

Eiji nodded. “These are pretty good, huh, Ankh?”

Ankh looked less at the drawings and more at the anxious look on Rena’s face. He knew he _should_ say something nice, but… _nice_ had never come easily to him. What the hell could he say? He settled for a nod in her direction and telling her, “Not bad.” Rena smirked back at him.

**

“You’re _sure_ you’re feeling all right, Emika?”

The Other woman nodded with a small smile. “I’m fine, Kiriko.” She was glad to have the officer as a friend. Kiriko had been to visit her nearly every day since she’d been released from Emperor Chaos’ control. This past week had been the best of her brief existence. “The boss said he’d let me try making the croissants tomorrow,” she reported. Kiriko had helped her find a job at a nearby bakery. “He was really pleased with how I did the bread today.”

“I’ll come by and try some,” Kiriko promised.

Emika nodded. “How’s your brother?” she asked. “Where is he these days?” She loved hearing stories of his travels as a photographer.

“Gou was in Nepal last week,” she said. “Although he’s probably somewhere else by now.”

Emika smiled wistfully. “One day, I’ll travel the world, too.” She looked at the clock. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”

“Oh! Is it dinner time already? I’m sorry, I should probably get going,” Kiriko said. The two women made their good-byes. “Remember to lock up after me.”

Emika chuckled. “I will.”

“And if you need _anything_ , you know you can call me, right? Any time, day or night.”

Emika tilted her head. “Are _you_ all right, Kiriko?”

Kiriko sighed. “It’s probably nothing,” she said.

“Is this about what happened with Spider?” She hadn’t known the Other man well, but news traveled fast among their small group.

She nodded. “He died exactly forty-five days after he was created,” she said. “And…that’s how long _you’ve_ been alive.”

“Is it?” Emika said. She thought for a moment. “I guess it is. But I feel fine, and I promise I’ll call you if that changes. Now get going—your son is waiting for you.”

Kiriko gave a rare smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

**

Emika awoke in the middle of the night, gasping for breath. She reached for her phone on the nightstand, but her arm wasn’t cooperating. She heard the phone clatter to the floor. She turned to look for it. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. What was happening? Her eyes couldn’t focus. Was that someone standing in the corner, or was her mind playing tricks on her? Maybe Kiriko had been right to be worried. As Emika gasped one final time, she thought wildly, _Now who will help Boss make the croissants?_

**Day 27**

Eiji, Ankh, Shingo, and Hina took the girls out for lunch and shopping for new clothes, since neither of them had anything beyond what they’d been wearing when they came to the hospital. “We have one more stop to make,” Hina announced as she stopped their group in front of a toy store.

Tori’s eyes lit up. “Really?” she cried.

Hina nodded. “You and Rena can each pick something from here.”

“What made you pick this place?” Eiji asked as he pushed the door open.

“I’ve been past here a few times,” Hina explained. “It looked like it would be fun.”

They walked into the store. The walls were covered in shelves holding stuffed animals. Tori’s mouth dropped open. “Can I really get any one that I want?” she asked.

“Of course,” Hina told her. She ran off to examine all of the options.

Ankh reached into one of the bins and pulled out a decidedly un-stuffed teddy bear. “What’s this?” he asked, holding it by one empty leg.

Hina chuckled. “See that big machine in the middle?” she asked, pointing across the store. “They’ll fill it up with stuffing here.” She looked at the others and asked hesitantly, “Is it weird that I kind of want one too?”

“Of course not,” Shingo assured her.

“Yes,” Ankh said at the same time, looking at the rows of toys with distaste.

“Oh, I don’t know, Ankh,” Eiji said. “They _are_ pretty cute.” He wandered over to a display of different wild animals. “Look, you can even make a dinosaur!”

“Ankh, Ankh, come see!” Tori said, tugging at his hand. She pulled him over to a corner of the store. “I think you should get this one!” She pointed to a tan-colored bear. Unlike the others, which all had cheerful expressions, it had a frown on its face and its eyebrows were drawn down. Tori plucked one from the bin and held it out to him. “Will you make one with me?”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Shingo said, eyes sparkling with amusement. “Let’s all get one!” Ankh shot him a death glare. Hina, who had followed them over, covered her face with her hands to hide her laughter.

“Here you go,” Tori prompted. Still glaring at Shingo, Ankh snatched the empty bear from Tori’s hand.

“This is dumb,” Rena complained. “I don’t want anything.”

“Hey!” Ankh protested. “If _I’m_ making one, you are too.”

Rena huffed a laugh at that. “Whatever,” she said.

Half an hour later, they walked out of the store with their purchases. Tori hugged her rainbow-colored bear tightly. “Thank you!” she said to Hina.

“Of course,” Hina said, smiling down at her.

“This was a good idea, Hina-chan,” Eiji said brightly. He held up the red parrot he’d chosen over the dinosaur. He wiggled it back and forth and said in an imitation of a parrot’s squawk, “Thank you for taking me home!”

Tori giggled. “This was fun, right, Rena-san?”

Rena held her stuffed black cat by one arm. She shrugged. “I guess so,” she admitted grudgingly.

Ankh held the bag containing his grumpy-faced bear out towards Tori. “You can have mine, too,” he said.

“Oh…” she said, face falling. “But I wanted _you_ to have it.” She thrust out her lower lip.

“Tch!” Ankh snapped. “Fine. Just…knock it off already.” He glared down at the bag.

Shingo chuckled. “It suits you, Ankh.” He carried a bag with his and Hina’s stuffed rabbits.

They walked past a man with a cart selling ice candy. “What flavor does everybody want?” Eiji asked.

“One of each,” Ankh said immediately. Rena turned to stare at him.

“Pineapple!” Tori piped up. “No, wait, coconut! Or maybe orange…”

While the others chose their flavors, Ankh looked back at Rena. “What?” he snapped.

“It’s just…I’ve never seen you _admit_ you actually like something,” she said.

He scowled at her. “What, I can’t have a favorite food?”

“You’re weird,” she told him again.

“I’m _me_ ,” he said. “That’s all that matters.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do so love forcing Ankh to have fun. That last scene may or may not have been inspired by half a dozen stuffed animals I've bought from Build-a-Bear as a fully grown adult...  
> **  
> Find me on Tumblr: [toku-fangirl-2015](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/toku-fangirl-2015)


	6. Day 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ankh finds out what's happening to the Others, and he is not happy about it. He and Eiji run in to some old friends. Rena has a heart-to-heart with Parad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Self-harm, suicidal ideation

**Day 30**

Ankh, Eiji, and Shingo went to visit the girls. “I’ve been using my new art supplies,” Rena told Ankh. “Do you want to see?”

Ankh shrugged. “If you want to show me.”

With a nod, she pulled out her sketchbook and flipped through the pages to find the one she wanted. “Here’s Tori,” she said, passing him the sketchbook.

“I can tell,” Ankh said. She’d drawn the younger girl with a bright smile, hopping on one foot and holding a teddy bear. He looked at the other side of the page. “And that’s you, I take it.” She’d drawn herself with a neutral expression, shoulders slumped down, holding a book. Rena nodded. Ankh started flipping to the next page in the sketchbook.

“Wait!” Rena cried. “Th…that one’s not done yet.” Embarrassed, she snatched the book back. Ankh caught a glimpse of two people who were clearly supposed to be himself and Eiji. He smirked at her.

“I was drawing too!” Tori piped up. She held up a drawing of…something. It looked sort of like a rabbit, if rabbits were teardrop-shaped and had a mouthful of giant teeth.

“What is that?” Ankh asked.

Tori giggled. “It’s Totoro,” she said.

Ankh looked at Rena, confused. She shrugged. “The movie was on TV last night,” she said, as though that explained things.

Meanwhile, Eiji asked Emu, “What’s going to happen to the girls long-term?”

Emu shook his head. “I still don’t know,” he admitted. “I’d thought about taking them home myself, but…I work such long and unpredictable hours, it wouldn’t be fair to them.”

Eiji nodded. “Shingo-san, what’s their legal status? Are they considered wards of the state, or…?”

Shingo breathed in sharply through his nose. “I’m not sure. I think the easiest thing to do would just be to create documentation for them like we did with the rest of the Others.” He fought to keep his expression neutral. “Are _you_ thinking about getting long-term custody of them?”

“I haven’t talked to Ankh about it yet,” Eiji said sheepishly. “It’s just been in the back of my mind recently.”

Emu beamed. “I think that’s a great idea!” he said. “Don’t you think so, Shingo-san?”

Tori ran over to Eiji and grabbed his hand. “Come see my pictures!” she said.

Emu chuckled. Shingo frowned. “There’s…something I need to tell you,” he told the doctor quietly.

Ankh watched Shingo and Emu whispering together. Emu left the room, face grim. Ankh walked over to Shingo. “Oi. What’s wrong with you?” he asked quietly.

Shingo shook his head. “It…it’s nothing.”

“Bullshit,” Ankh spat.

Shingo’s shoulders slumped. “There were ten of the Others left after the fight,” he began quietly. “We have a record of them all, who they’re copies of and the date they were created. Kiriko’s been going to visit them, and…” He stopped.

“Did something happen to them?” Ankh prompted.

His head bobbed up and down once. “Three of them so far,” he reported. They’d found the third one that morning. “Exactly forty-five days after they were created…they turned back into those copper Cell Medals.” He turned to Ankh. “Does that sound right? Do…did the Yummys have a limit to how long they could survive?”

“I…I’m not sure,” Ankh admitted. “None of them ever seemed to live very long.” He froze. “The girls…when were they created?”

“Tori was created twenty-nine days ago,” Shingo said. “Rena was created the day before her.”

Ankh swallowed. “That means…in two more weeks…”

Shingo nodded miserably. “I’m sorry, Ankh. We’re working to see if we can figure out what’s causing it, and Kiriko thinks there might be somebody targeting them, but we don’t know for sure.”

Ankh looked over to the bed where Eiji sat with the girls on either side of him. “We can’t tell that idiot,” he told Shingo.

He nodded in agreement. “I haven’t told Hina, either,” he said. “I still think there’s a way to prevent it.”

Ankh’s mind was spinning. He swallowed heavily. “There might not be.” The Yummys, after all, had been disposable by their very nature. They had existed only to harvest human desire and turn it into Cell Medals. Whatever Emperor Chaos had done to create the new breed, he doubted the man had cared at all about the lifespan of his creations.

 _Forty-five days…and two-thirds of that time already gone…_ Ankh couldn’t get the thought from his mind.

**Day 31**

“Are you ready, Ankh?” Hina asked.

Ankh scowled. “I don’t feel like visiting the girls today.”

“They’re counting on us,” Eiji said. “We’ve been going to see them every day.”

Ankh’s scowl deepened. “That’s why!” he spat. “I…I miss spending time with just you.”

Hina smiled at him fondly. “It’s fine,” she said. “I can go and visit them by myself today, and you and Eiji-kun can go on a date!”

Eiji put an arm around his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Ankh,” he said. “I know change is hard for you. I wasn’t thinking about how you were taking all of this.”

For the first time, Ankh felt bad about lying.

Eiji had already finished his shift at the Foundation, so they had the rest of the afternoon and evening free. “I haven’t had lunch yet,” Eiji said as they walked past a ramen cart. “Do you want some, too?”

Ankh shrugged. “I’ll take whatever you’re having.”

They walked over to the cart, where two men stood looking over the menu. The first man wore a striped shirt with a long vest and fingerless gloves. And...were those _binder clips_ in his hair? He appeared to be considering every single item individually as he ran his finger down the list of options. 

“Sorry,” the second man said. His outfit was as formal as the other’s was causal, a suit and tie topped with a fedora. “If you know what you want, you can go ahead of us. He’s…probably going to be a while.” He looked at Eiji for a long moment. “Hang on. Do I…know you?”

Eiji grinned. “You’re a long way from Fuuto, Hidari Shoutarou.”

“I remember you,” Ankh added. Shoutarou looked at him, confused. “Last time we met, I had a different form.” Ankh held up his right arm and gestured with his fingers.

“Oh!” Shoutarou cried, pointing. “You…you were the hand!”

Shoutarou’s partner turned around. “I think I’m ready to order,” he said. “Although…there are a few combinations I have yet to consider…”

“Never mind that, Philip,” Shoutarou said. “Remember Hino Eiji and the floating arm?”

Philip regarded Ankh with intense curiosity. “Fascinating,” he said. “How did you acquire this form?”

“It’s a long story,” Eiji said. “We can tell you the whole thing over lunch, if you like.”

“Sure,” agreed Shoutarou.

They sat at the counter with their food. “So, what brings you here?” Eiji asked.

Shoutarou sighed. “We got word that someone’s been selling Gaia Memories here,” he said quietly. “They’ve caused so many problems in Fuuto, I want to make sure they don’t make this city cry, too.”

Eiji filled the two detectives in on their own current situation, punctuated occasionally with sarcastic comments from Ankh. “The nature of these new Yummys is puzzling,” Philip commented. “You said the previous version changed into monsters, and yet these new ones are able to perfectly copy human forms. Why is that?”

“I’m not sure,” Eiji admitted.

Shoutarou shook his head. “Now you’ve done it,” he said to Eiji. “You’ve gotten him off on a research tangent. _Do_ try to remember we already have a case, partner,” he said, smiling fondly at Philip.

That gave Ankh an idea. He just had to figure out how to bring it up to Philip without Eiji hearing. The opportunity presented itself as the group finished their lunch and walked to the park. “Oi,” Ankh said, nudging Eiji with his elbow. “Get me cherry.” He nodded back towards the ice candy stand they’d just passed.

Eiji grinned at him. “What’s the magic word?”

Ankh grabbed the front of Eiji’s shirt. “Now.”

Eiji shook his head. “Not until you say ‘please,’” he told Ankh, eyes sparkling mischievously.

“Tch!” With a glare, Ankh spat, “Fine. _Please_ get me cherry.”

As Eiji walked off, Ankh murmured to Philip, “There’s a…problem with the Others. Something’s happening where they die after forty-five days, and we don’t know why. Can you figure it out?”

Shoutarou looked over at Eiji. “He doesn’t know, does he?” he asked Ankh. Ankh shook his head.

“I’ll try,” Philip promised.

Eiji ran back over and handed Ankh his ice candy. Ankh looked from Eiji to Philip. “Thanks.”

“Oh…you—you’re welcome,” Eiji stammered. He grinned at Ankh.

“You’re nicer than you were the last time we met,” Shoutarou remarked.

Ankh scowled. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

Philip smiled at Shoutarou. “Meanwhile, my partner is still _half-boiled_ as ever.”

**

They went to Shingo and Hina’s apartment for dinner. “The girls were asking about you today,” Hina said casually. “Parad was too.”

“We’ll go and visit them again tomorrow,” Eiji said brightly. “Right?”

Ankh scowled. “If you want to.” Shingo regarded him thoughtfully.

After dinner, Shingo said, “It’s a nice evening. I think I’ll go for a walk. Ankh, do you want to come with me?”

He shrugged and went to grab his shoes from outside the door.

“I feel like this is my fault,” Shingo said as they walked down the street. “I shouldn’t have said anything.” He’d forgotten how hard Ankh had taken the deaths of the other Greeed, and they hadn’t even _liked_ each other. To lose Tori and Rena now, just when he was starting to get close to them…

“I wish I’d never even met them!” Ankh growled.

Shingo sighed. “Hina was devastated after you died,” he said quietly. “As glad as she was to have me back, it was still hard, with you being gone. But…she was there for you, right up until the end.”

“Why?” Ankh asked. “How could she do it, when she knew it would just make things harder once I died?”

“Because she knew that’s what you needed,” Shingo said gently. “And because she didn’t want to lose the time she had left.”

Ankh tried to imagine how he would have felt if Hina had indeed left him to die, as he’d assumed she would, instead of spending that final day with him. “I should go see them again, shouldn’t I?” he said after a long moment.

Shingo nodded. “If you think you can.” He put a hand on Ankh’s shoulder. “And…I wouldn’t give up hope yet. There must be _something_ we can do.” He paused, thinking. “Maybe if there was a way to give the Others a Core Medal…?”

Ankh shook his head. “It wouldn’t work,” he said. “The Core Medals were made by Kougami, and the Cell Medals were made by Emperor Chaos. The only Core Medals _he_ had were those orange ones, which I wouldn’t trust giving to anyone even if they _hadn’t_ been destroyed.”

“Ah, right,” Shingo said. “I wonder if there’s a way to access his research.”

“I’ve got someone looking into things,” Ankh said. He told Shingo about their encounter with the detectives.

“Kiriko says she’s got someone trying to figure it out, too,” Shingo said. “I’m sure we’ll find a way to fix things.”

Ankh smirked. “There you go with your optimism again.”

**

Parad pixelated into the girls’ hospital room to tell them good night before he and Emu went home. Tori was already sleeping, her arm curled around her new teddy bear. Rena stood in the hospital room’s small bathroom with the door half-open and the light on. She faced away from him, towards the sink. “Rena?” Parad called softly. “Are you all right?”

Her only answer was a half-strangled sob. Parad noticed something orange dripping down the side of the sink and puddling on the floor. He rushed into the bathroom and grabbed Rena’s hand, stopping her from dragging the scalpel— _how had she gotten_ that _?_ Parad wondered frantically—across her arm again. “What are you doing?” he asked, panicked.

“I’m dying,” she whispered.

“Is that what you _want_?” he cried.

“Emu said…he was running all these tests on us, and I asked him why,” Rena began, letting the words spill out, “and he said that the Others are only living for forty-five days, which means I only have two more weeks _anyway_ , and this way, at least…at least I’m in control of when.” She glared at Parad. “Let go of my arm!”

“No,” Parad said as calmly as he could. “No, I can’t let you do that, Rena. Not until you let me have this.” His fingers closed around the handle of the scalpel. “Doesn’t that _hurt_?” he asked, indicating the cuts that ran across her arm already.

“It—” Rena took a steadying breath. “The pain helps me…focus.”

“Look at me,” Parad told her. “Your life is precious. You only have one life, and you shouldn’t let it go to waste. It doesn’t matter how much time you have left. What matters is that right now, you _are_ alive.” He prayed he was saying the right things. 

Rena’s face crumpled. “I’m _scared,_ ” she whimpered. “I…I don’t…”

“I know,” Parad said, nodding. “I know.” Slowly, Rena eased her grip on the scalpel. Parad put it down on the edge of the sink and held her tightly. “Whatever happens,” he promised, “you won’t be alone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a *rough* chapter for me to write, even though I know how it all works out in the end. I tried to find a balance between "too much angst" and "too much fluff."
> 
> For anyone wondering about the girls' fate...I will say that even though they're my own OCs, I do consider them "major characters" in this story.  
> **  
> Find me on Tumblr: [toku-fangirl-2015](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/toku-fangirl-2015)


	7. Day 32

**Day 32**

Ankh froze when he saw the gauze wrapped around Rena’s arm. “Oi. What happened to you?” he asked.

She glared at him. “Oh, so _now_ you care about me?” It wasn’t just her usual irritability, Ankh could tell. Rena was _pissed_. At him. He was shocked to realize how…bad he felt about that.

Eiji grimaced. “I’m sorry we didn’t come to see you yesterday,” he said. “Is…everything all right?”

“It’s fine,” she said dismissively.

“If you want to talk about anything…” Eiji continued.

Rena shrugged. “I talked to Parad,” she said. “ _He_ was there for me.”

“’m sorry,” Ankh mumbled.

Eiji stared at him open-mouthed. “Did…did I just hear you _apologize_?” He looked between Ankh and Rena. “He’s never apologized to _anyone_! For _anything_!”

Ankh glared back at Eiji. “Shut up!”

Tori ran up to Eiji and took his hand. “Eiji-kun! Will you read me a story?” He nodded and walked off with her, leaving Ankh with Rena. He sat next to her on the edge of the hospital bed, neither of them looking at the other.

“I get it,” Rena said to him dully. “Why you don’t care anymore. What’s the point, right? If I’m just going to die in a couple weeks anyway, why waste your time with me?”

Ankh looked at her sharply. “How did you know about the time limit?”

She shrugged. “I asked Houjou-sensei about all the tests he was running on us.” She glanced at him. “That’s why you’re avoiding us, isn’t it?”

Ankh swallowed. “You’re wrong,” he said very quietly. “You thought I don’t care about you? It’s too late for that.” He met her eyes for a fraction of an instant and saw the understanding there. “Eiji doesn’t know about the time limit. I…I don’t think he could take it if he did. Don’t tell him. Please.”

Rena smirked. “All right…but only because I have a feeling that ‘please’ isn’t something you say very often either.”

He shoved her with his shoulder. “Shut up,” he protested, but there was a hint of a smile there.

Rena sighed. “If I’ve only got two weeks…Parad said I should make the most of it, but…I don’t know what to do.”

Ankh scowled. “Eiji’s the one who dispenses advice, not me. You’ve got to figure that out for yourself.”

“Figure what out?” Eiji asked, walking back towards them with Tori. The younger girl clambered up onto the bed and sat next to Ankh.

“Oh, nothing really,” Rena said. “Just trying to determine the meaning of life. What I should live for.”

Eiji nodded thoughtfully. “Well, everyone will have their own answer to that question. I live for my friends, and helping people. As many people as I can.”

“There’s only one thing I live for,” Ankh said with a smirk. “Ice candy.”

“I like teddy bears!” Tori piped up.

Eiji laughed. “It doesn’t need to be a big reason,” he assured Rena. “There are small things everywhere that make life worth living.”

Rena thought for a long moment. “I like…going outside after it rains,” she said finally. “Everything smells fresh and new.”

Eiji’s face brightened. “We should go to the beach!” he said. “Nothing smells better than the ocean air. I’ll see when Hina and Shingo are free, and we can all go together.”

Rena nodded. “All right,” she agreed.

**Day 33**

Ankh and Eiji took the girls to the park in the late afternoon, after Eiji finished his shift at the Foundation. Ankh and Rena climbed to the top of the jungle gym while Eiji watched Tori go down the slides.

“So what happened to your arm?” Ankh asked. It was still wrapped in gauze.

Rena scowled. “I _don’t_ want to talk about it, okay? It won’t happen again. I promised Parad.”

Ankh nodded, deciding not to say anything. They sat in silence for a while. Ankh watched as Eiji and Tori walked over to the sandbox. “Tori doesn’t know about the time limit, does she?” he asked.

“Of course not!” Rena said. “I wouldn’t burden her like that.”

Eiji pulled out his phone and began talking into it. Ankh jumped down through the bars at the top of the jungle gym and walked over to him. Rena climbed down after him.

“I—yes, yes, all right,” Eiji said. “We’ll be there.” He ended the call and told Ankh, “Chiyoko just got a reservation for a group of fifty people tonight.”

Ankh scowled. “And you agreed to go and help her, didn’t you?”

Eiji nodded. “I’m sorry,” he said to the girls.

“You have to leave _already_?” Rena grumbled. “But you _just_ got here!”

“Can we come with you?” Tori asked.

Eiji frowned. “We won’t be able to play with you,” he told her. “We’re going to be very busy.”

“I’ll watch Tori,” Rena volunteered. “And…I can wash dishes or whatever. Please? There’s _nothing_ to do at the hospital.”

Eiji sighed and looked at Ankh. Ankh shrugged and said, “We _did_ come all this way to see them.”

After a call to Emu, who gave the okay and promised to pick the girls up later, they headed back to Cous Coussier. Eiji took Rena on a Ride Vendor, while Ankh and Tori took another. Tori was astonished by the transforming bike.

“Eiji-kun! Thank goodness!” Chiyoko called when he pushed open the door to the restaurant. “Hina-chan’s here already. Can you help her peel the potatoes?” She looked over and noticed the two girls. “Who…?”

“Sorry,” Eiji said, bowing forward. “These are my…nieces, Rena and Tori. I promised to spend the afternoon with them. They wanted to come along.”

“How cute!” Chiyoko said brightly. “Rena-chan, Tori-chan, it’s nice to meet you.”

They all worked together to set up decorations for the evening’s Irish theme. Hina lifted Tori up to hang shamrocks on the walls. Ankh and Rena arranged the tables and chairs. Eiji ran back and forth from the attic to find things to add to the décor. They finished just as the evening’s first customers arrived.

Chiyoko set the girls up at a table in the corner with paper and crayons, and they got to work drawing pictures. Eiji walked past them on his way back to the kitchen and stopped to check on them. Chiyoko put a hand on his shoulder. “Eiji-kun, I’m glad for you,” she said. “It’s good for you to spend time with your family.”

“Yeah…” Eiji said.

The restaurant was bustling, but Ankh and Eiji stopped by the girls’ table whenever they had the chance. “Oi!” Ankh complained when he saw Rena eating an ice pop. “Where’d you get that?”

She smirked at him. “Chiyoko-san gave them to us,” she said. Tori’s face was already sticky with the remains of hers. “She said not to tell you where they are.”

When Tori’s eyes started drooping, Eiji took the girls upstairs to the attic. Tori immediately curled up with Eiji’s stuffed bird and fell asleep. Eiji stood there for a long moment, watching her. “Don’t you still have stuff to do?” Rena asked. She fought back a yawn. “I’ll…I’ll keep an eye on Tori,” she said sleepily.

They had to wake both of the girls when Emu came to pick them up just after eleven o’clock. “So, you’re Eiji’s brother?” Chiyoko asked Emu. Standing behind her, Eiji gestured frantically for Emu to play along.

“Yes,” Emu agreed.

Chiyoko nodded. “I can see the family resemblance,” she said.

Hina carried a still-sleeping Tori down the stairs. Emu gently shook her awake. “Time to go,” he said.

Tori stretched and yawned. “Will you come visit us again tomorrow?” she asked Eiji.

Eiji nodded. “We’re all going to the beach, remember?”

Tori grinned. “Oh yeah!”

“Did you have fun?” Emu asked the girls.

Tori nodded, now wide awake. “I got to ride on a vending machine that turns into a bike!” she reported.

“My friend Kiriya can do that, too,” Emu remarked.

“Thank you for letting me bring the girls,” Eiji said to Chiyoko. “I hope they weren’t any trouble.”

“Not at all!” Chiyoko assured him. “They’re welcome here any time.”

**

Ankh lay on his side in the bed in the attic, Eiji curled up behind him. “Hey,” Eiji murmured. “I’ve been thinking…”

“About what?” Ankh prompted.

“Well, the girls can’t stay at the hospital forever,” Eiji said. “And they’ve gotten to know us, and…there’s that empty apartment in Hina’s building…” His voice trailed off.

“Are you saying _we_ should be their parents or something?” Ankh asked. His chest tightened. “Neither of us knows anything about kids,” he said, forcing a sneer into his voice.

Eiji laughed humorlessly. “My parents gave me a pretty good idea of what _not_ to do,” he said. “And…we can figure out the rest as we go. You don’t have to answer right away,” he added when Ankh was silent. “Just…think about it?” Ankh huffed. “I know it would be a big change for us,” Eiji continued. “But…change can be a good thing, right?” He curled his arm around Ankh.

Ankh could almost picture it in his mind: Tori laughing as he pushed her on the swings at the park. Rena showing them her latest drawing. Eiji tucking the girls into bed at night.

Why was it suddenly hard to breathe? And why were his cheeks wet? _I’m leaking,_ he thought wildly, glad that he was facing away from Eiji.

“Hey,” Eiji asked, somehow sensing his distress, “are you all right?” Ankh nodded wordlessly, not trusting his voice at the moment. “If you say so,” Eiji said skeptically. “Good night, Ankh.”

Ankh swallowed hard. “Good night,” he managed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not usually one for whump tropes, but there's something about "crying=leaking" that gets me every time.


	8. Day 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to my 9th-grade English teacher and her lesson on metaphors...

**Day 34**

“Come put sunscreen on first!” Hina called to Tori and Rena as they arrived at the beach.

Rena stopped and took in a deep breath. “You’re right,” she told Eiji. “The air _does_ smell different here.”

Tori carried a bucket and pail. “Will you help me build a sandcastle?” she asked Hina.

“Sure!” Hina told her.

“Oi, Eiji, what made you pick _this_ spot?” Ankh asked with a smirk.

Eiji blinked. “No reason, really,” he said. “Why?”

He looked so clueless that Ankh believed him. “Tch! Idiot,” he said. “You _really_ don’t remember?” True, Eiji _had_ been rather out of it at that point, but for him to have no memory of their last encounter here…

“You’ve been here before?” Hina asked, surprised.

Ankh nodded. “We fought here.” He looked at Eiji pointedly. “Maki interrupted us? I stopped him from killing you? Is that ringing any bells in that empty head of yours?”

“Eh? Oh, right, I remember now!” Eiji said, nodding. “It’s a little hazy, but…I do remember.” He grinned at Ankh sheepishly.

Ankh _tch_ ’d at him again. “I should hope so.” It had been one of the defining moments of his existence, the first time he’d placed Eiji’s needs above his own. Eiji put an arm around his shoulder, and they turned to watch the girls play.

Rena stood at the water’s edge, breathing in the salty air and letting the waves lap over her feet. Tori sat down in the sand and began scooping sand into her pail for a castle.

“Onii-chan, let’s find some seashells to put on the castle,” Hina suggested.

Shingo chuckled. “Sure,” he agreed. “Hina used to love building sandcastles when she was your age,” he told Tori. “Our parents took us to the beach every summer.”

The sandcastle grew taller and more impressive as they all worked on it together. Tori filled bucket after bucket. Hina carefully stacked the sand, and Eiji filled in the gaps. Shingo and Rena found seaweed and shells to decorate the walls. Ankh reluctantly added seagull feathers around the top edge. “Beautiful!” Hina declared when they were done.

“Let’s go play in the water now!” Tori said to Rena, tugging her hand.

“Don’t go out too far!” Shingo called after them. Tori giggled as the water splashed around her ankles.

Eiji turned to Ankh. “Are you still upset that we never finished settling things the last time we were here?” he asked teasingly.

Ankh huffed a laugh. “I would’ve won, you know,” he told Eiji.

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure,” Eiji said. He took off running down the beach. Ankh chased after him. When they were both knee-deep in the surf, Eiji leaned down and splashed water in Ankh’s face.

Ankh spluttered and glared. “You got my _hair_ wet!” he complained. “You’ll pay for that!” He pushed Eiji backwards. Laughing, Eiji grabbed Ankh’s arm as he fell back, pulling them both down into the water.

“Boys!” Hina called. “Do I need to come separate you two?”

“We’re fine,” Eiji called back to her.

They stayed at the beach until the sun began to dip below the horizon. “Oh,” Tori said sadly as they turned to go. “Look at that.” She pointed at the remains of their sandcastle. All of the decorations had washed away, and the walls were caved in.

“The tide came in,” Hina explained. “That’s what happens with sandcastles.”

“Then what was the _point_?” Rena asked. “If it’s just going to fall apart again, why bother building it at all?”

“It’s okay,” Tori told her. “We can make a new one next time!”

“Yeah,” Rena said. She looked down at the younger girl and squeezed her hand. “We’ll definitely make another one some day.”

Shingo put an arm around Rena’s shoulders. “The point of sandcastles,” he told her, “is that while they’re here, they make the beach a better place.”

“Let’s get ice candy on the way back!” Eiji suggested.

Ankh nodded. “I want two.”

**Day 35**

Ankh awoke in the middle of the night to the feel of Eiji’s arms closing around him tightly. “Oi, Eiji,” he said blearily.

Eiji froze. “I’m sorry, Ankh,” he said. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” He was breathing hard. “I had a nightmare and…I’m just glad you’re here.”

Beat. “D’you want to talk about it?”

“I…sure,” Eiji said, sounding surprised. He took a deep breath. “I have this recurring nightmare about…that time.”

Ankh snorted. “You’ll have to narrow that down a little.”

“In Africa,” Eiji clarified.

“Oh,” Ankh said. “ _That_ time.” The civil war, before they’d met, when he’d watched a young girl die in an explosion.

“So…I still dream about it,” Eiji continued. “Except now sometimes it’s with other people I care about. Hina. Shingo. You.” Beat. “Just now…I dreamed it was Tori.”

Ankh fought to keep his face neutral. “I had a nightmare that you died once,” he said, desperate to change the subject. “Before our final battle with Emperor Chaos.”

“Oh,” Eiji said. “Was that the first time you’d ever dreamed before?”

Ankh smirked. “No, actually,” he admitted. “I never dreamed as a Greeed, of course, but…back when we were fighting my impostor, I had a dream that he came to take me over…and you took his side.”

“Really?” Eiji asked. He smiled softly at Ankh. “And look where we are now.” He pressed a kiss to Ankh’s forehead.

Ankh stared at Eiji intently and ran a hand through his hair. Eiji closed his eyes contentedly.

“Ankh?” he asked. Ankh hmm’d. “Have you been thinking about what I said the other day?”

“Yeah.”

Beat. “Oh. Okay.”

Ankh let out a long, slow breath. “Let’s do it,” he said.

Eiji opened his eyes again. “Really?” His smile lit up the dark room.

Ankh nodded, his face tight. “If anyone asks,” he warned Eiji, “this was all _your_ idea.”

**Day 36**

Ankh and Shingo took the girls to the park while Eiji worked a shift at the Kougami Foundation. “Bet I can swing higher than you,” Rena told Ankh.

He smirked at her. “You’re on.”

They sat on a pair of swings. Tori sat next to Ankh on the other side, with Shingo pushing her. Rena began to swing. Ankh was having trouble getting the hang of it. “I’ve never actually done this before,” he admitted with a frown.

“It’s easy,” Rena told him. “Here, I'll show you.” She demonstrated how to kick back and forth to propel the swing higher, and soon she and Ankh were swinging together. “Now watch," Rena said. "This is the best part!" At the height of her arc, she jumped off of the swing and landed smoothly on the ground below.

“Oi!” Ankh called, eyes wide. “That’s dangerous!”

Shingo burst out laughing. “That’s rich, coming from _you_ ,” he told Ankh. “As I recall, you used to jump out of third-story windows with me.”

“Second story,” Ankh said with a scowl. “And _I_ knew my limits.”

“Try it!” Rena called to him. “It’s just like flying.”

Ankh highly doubted that, but…it was worth trying anyway. He jumped and landed several feet past where Rena stood.

“Whoa,” Rena said.

“Do it again!” Tori called to him.

Eiji pulled up to the edge of the park on a Ride Vendor. “Sorry I’m late!” he called to the girls. “I…had some things to take care of.” He looked at Ankh. “You didn’t tell them yet, right?” Ankh shook his head.

“Tell us what?” Rena asked.

Eiji beamed at her. “How would you like to come stay with us?” he asked her. “Permanently?”

Tori’s eyes lit up. “Really?” she cried. Eiji nodded at her.

“What, are we _all_ going to live in that attic?” Rena asked with a sneer.

“I found an apartment for us,” Eiji explained. “And Hina-chan and Shingo-san are right across the hall.”

“Oh,” Rena said.

“It’ll take some time to work out all the details,” Eiji told her, “but I hope we’ll have everything settled by next week.”

“We’d _better_ ,” Ankh muttered.

“We’re going to be a family!” Tori said excitedly. “Rena-san can be my sister, and Eiji-kun can be my daddy, and Ankh can be my…papa,” she decided after a moment. Ankh scowled.

Eiji laughed, misunderstanding the reason behind Ankh’s dark mood, and kissed him on the cheek.

Rena considered. “Can I still call you by your names?” she asked.

“Yes,” Ankh said immediately.

Eiji nodded. “If you’d rather.”

**Day 37**

Hina walked into the restaurant and sat down with Ankh and Eiji at a table. “Guess who I saw today!”

“Who?” Eiji asked.

“Shouko and her double!” she said.

Ankh whipped his head towards her. “Her _double_?” he asked.

“Oh,” Eiji said, surprised. “I didn’t know she was one of the ones that survived.”

Hina nodded. “The Other named herself Setsuko,” she reported. “She ran off after the attack on the restaurant and started resisting the Emperor’s control.”

“Now that you mention it,” Eiji said thoughtfully, “I don’t remember seeing her after that day.”

 _That’s…not possible_ , Ankh thought. Shouko had been one of the first people taken, and Setsuko was the first of the Others they’d encountered. Her forty-five days should have long since passed. _Unless…_ “Where did you see them?” Ankh demanded. “I need to talk to her.”

“Ankh, leave her be!” Eiji protested. “The attack wasn’t her fault. She was being controlled.”

Ankh shook his head. “That’s not why.”

“I just ran into them at the grocery store,” Hina said apologetically. “I don’t know where they’re staying.”

Frowning, Ankh pulled out his phone and texted Shingo. _Hina found another one of the Others,_ he typed. _She’s lasted past the forty-five days. We need to find her and find out how._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it's time for a light at the end of the tunnel. All is not lost!


	9. Day 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late! Writer's block is REAL.

**Day 38**

Ankh rose from the bed as carefully as possible, so as not to disturb Eiji, and climbed up onto the window ledge. The sun wouldn’t rise for another hour or so, but he wanted to start his search for Setsuko as soon as possible.

As he landed smoothly on the ground below, he realized he had no idea how to begin. Searching for the Yummys had always been easy—he’d been able to sense them, their presence detectable even from halfway across the city. Even when searching for his impostor, he’d been able to sort of home in on where he _wasn’t_ , since they were both actively trying to mask their presence. But the Others…he had no connection to them.

Then Ankh remembered the detectives he’d asked to help him discover why the Others were dying. He and Philip had exchanged phone numbers, so he pulled up Philip’s name on his phone from his miniscule list of contacts.

He answered on the first ring. “Hello?” Philip’s voice was quiet, but he sounded wide awake.

“I have some more information about the Others,” Ankh told him.

“Do you? Give me one second,” he said. “No, it’s all right, you go back to sleep,” he added, presumably to Shoutarou. Ankh heard the sound of a door opening and closing on Philip’s end. “I’m sorry,” he said to Ankh. “We’ve been so busy with our other case, it hasn’t left me with much time for yours. We’ve had to track down two Dopants in your city this week, and there are several other Gaia Memories that are still unaccounted for.”

“The Others are being murdered,” Ankh told him sharply. “And they’re making it look like an accident.” A fourth one had fallen victim just the day before, discovered only hours before Setsuko’s existence had come to light. He and Shingo had discussed what they knew so far. Their best guess was that someone had gotten access to the list of the Others’ names and locations, and Setsuko had survived because her name wasn’t on it.

Ankh heard Philip’s sharp intake of breath. “You’re certain of that?”

“Not completely,” Ankh admitted. He explained about Hina’s encounter with Setsuko. “I need to find her to make sure.”

“I can find her for you,” Philip offered. “It shouldn’t take too much time. Can you come to our hotel? We’re staying in town until we’re certain all of the Gaia Memories have been destroyed.”

“Give me the address.”

Fifteen minutes later, Ankh, Philip, and Shoutarou stood together in the detectives’ hotel room. Ankh watched, intrigued, as Philip closed his eyes and spread his arms out wide.

“Keywords are Others, Setsuko, Shouko…” Shoutarou began. He turned to Ankh. “Do you know her family name?”

Ankh shook his head. “I do know she was one of the people held by Emperor Chaos. What’s he doing?”

“A lookup,” Shoutarou explained. “Try Emperor Chaos as a keyword.”

“Got it!” Philip said triumphantly. He opened his eyes, grabbed a pen and paper, and scribbled down an address. “Shouko is here,” he told Ankh, passing him the scrap of paper. “If they aren’t staying together, at least Shouko should know where to find her.”

Ankh tilted his head in confusion. “How did you _do_ that?”

Philip gave him a small smile. “I have access to the Gaia Library, which contains all of the information in the world. I can find the answer to nearly any question, as long as I have the right keywords.”

Ankh blinked. “Oh.” He was still amazed at all of the information he was able to find online. To have all of that in his _head…_ He smirked at Philip. “No wonder you can’t focus.” **  
**

“Hey!” Shoutarou glared at Ankh and put his arm protectively around Philip’s shoulder.

“He’s not wrong,” Philip said, looking at his partner. “I _do_ get distracted, as you yourself have often pointed out.”

“Yeah, but _he_ has no right to talk to you like that!” Shoutarou protested.

**

Ankh knocked on the door of the house at the address Philip had given him just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. Shouko opened the door cautiously, a steaming mug of tea in her hand. “Can I help you?” she asked.

Another woman appeared behind her and gasped when she saw Ankh. “You!” she cried fearfully. Shouko turned to look at Setsuko, concerned. “He was there that day at the café,” she explained. To Ankh she said, “I’m deeply sorry for my actions that day. I…I know there’s no taking back what I did…”

“I’m not here about that,” Ankh told her abruptly. Her shoulders sagged with relief. “Do you know what’s been happening with the Others?”

Setsuko shook her head. “Until we ran into Hina yesterday, I wasn’t even aware that anyone else was left from the emperor’s army.”

“There were about a dozen who registered with the police,” Ankh explained. “They helped the Others find jobs and homes and official identification.”

“Oh,” Setsuko said. “I should probably do that too, then.”

Ankh scowled. “I wouldn’t,” he said. “Because everyone on that list is dying, one by one.”

Setsuko paled. “What’s happening to them?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Ankh told her.

“I’d like to help,” Setsuko said immediately.

Shouko shook her head. “It’s too dangerous,” she protested.

Setsuko looked at her intently. “I need to do this.”

Ankh nodded. “Call the police station and ask for Detective Izumi,” he told her. “He’ll let you know what you can do.”

Setsuko nodded, determined.

Ankh’s phone began to buzz. Scowling, he pulled it out and answered it. “What?”

“Where are you?” Eiji’s voice came from the other end. “I woke up and you weren’t there.”

“I just went…out. For a walk. I’ll be back soon,” Ankh said. He ended the call and nodded at Setsuko. With that, he turned and left.

“You’re welcome!” Shouko called after him. She crossed her arms and glanced at Setsuko. “Can you believe him? Couldn’t even be bothered to say goodbye.”

Setsuko shrugged. “Let’s get started on breakfast. What would you like to have today?”

**Day 39**

The man in half-rimmed glasses sat at his desk at the police station, pretending to work as he listened to the conversation going on around him. “Evidence has no idea what to make of this,” one of the officers said. He held up a bag containing what appeared at first glance to be a flash drive. “We took it off of a drug dealer last night.”

“Any information on it?” his partner asked.

“That’s the thing,” the first one said. “It’s not a standard USB connector. It doesn’t fit in any of the computers.”

Surreptitiously, the man in half-rimmed glasses opened the top drawer of his desk to make sure his own device was still safe. Good, there it was, on top of the copy of the list he’d taken from Officer Shijima’s desk. It had been laughably easy to take the single sheet of paper, make a photocopy, and return the original. Then his work had begun.

He’d eliminated four of the abominations so far. What were they calling themselves? ‘Others’? He snorted. They might look human, but he knew what they truly were. He’d taken out the last one only two days ago. The Gaia Memory made it all too easy. His mind drifted back to the feeling of using that incalculable power. The side of his stomach tingled where he’d gotten the port installed. _No! Not yet!_ His next job wasn’t for another six days.

He turned back to the half-written report on his desk. Pointless busywork, but he’d be reprimanded if it wasn’t done. He gritted his teeth and got back to work.

He was just about to sign his name on the completed report when another conversation caught his attention.

“We’ve found another one of the Others.” It was Izumi’s voice.

“What?” Shijima cried in shock. Surreptitiously, he turned to watch them.

Izumi nodded. “I’m not sure it’s even worth registering her, though…it’s been forty-three days since she was created.”

“Of course it’s worth registering her!” Shijima said. “What’s her name? Where’s she staying? I want to go and visit her tonight.”

“You don’t have to,” Izumi said. “I know how hard this has been on you.”

Shijima nodded once. “But…it’s worth it,” she said. “We need a record of their lives, so they know that they will be remembered after they’re gone.”

The man snorted. “Just give me the location,” he muttered. His heart was pounding in anticipation. He’d been warned about using the Gaia Memory too often, and hadn’t planned on using it again so soon, but he supposed it couldn’t be helped.

“Here’s her information,” Izumi said, passing Shijima a slip of paper. She looked it over, nodded, and placed it on top of a stack of papers on her desk.

He grinned. This was all too easy. When Shijima left her desk to refill her coffee cup, he walked past and pretended to trip, knocking all of her papers to the floor. “Terribly sorry, Shijima-san!” he called sheepishly as she ran back over to her desk. He began piling everything back on top. “Let me put everything back for you.” He grabbed the scrap of paper and read it quickly. Sugiura Setsuko, staying at a local hotel, created forty-three days ago. Without giving any sign that he cared about the paper’s contents, he placed it back atop the stack.

His side tingled again. _Soon…soon._ Tomorrow night. She’d come to his attention just in time. The police were now thoroughly convinced that the Others came with a time limit. It was lucky they’d found Setsuko before then. He smiled darkly. Well, lucky for him. Not so lucky for that one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A connection between W's two cases! Dun-dun-dunnn! And yes, our evil man in the half-rimmed glasses is walking into a trap.
> 
> I decided to end the chapter here, rather than after day 40, so that I wouldn't be even later getting it posted.


	10. Day 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if Kiriko *technically* still has her Rider Kick boots, but I decided she does, because we needed to see more of them.

**Day 40**

The man in the half-rimmed glasses smiled coldly as he walked down the hallway towards the hotel room where Setsuko was staying. He fingered the Gaia Memory in his pocket, reassuring himself that it was indeed there. He reached the room he wanted and smoothly picked the lock. The room was dark except for the streetlights streaming in through the room’s large windows. He stared at the figure laying in the bed. Its eyes were closed. Good, it was sleeping. Once the body was dead, it would dissolve into those little copper discs, leaving no evidence of how it had died.

His side tingling in anticipation, he rolled up his shirt and slid the device into the port he’d gotten installed there.

_Poison!_

He could feel his form changing, felt the power flowing through his body. It was exhilarating. Each time he used the Gaia Memory, its effects only increased. He looked down at his right hand, which now resembled a large syringe. He leaned over the figure on the bed and lowered the needle towards its arm, just above the elbow.

The figure’s eyes flew open and it looked up at him. Let out a terrified scream. “Wh-what’s going on?” it asked.

There was no pity in his gaze. “Your existence will end tonight,” he said. “As it was fated to.”

“Who are you?” the figure demanded.

He leaned down, his nose inches from its face. “I am Fate.” He grabbed its arm with his left hand and prepared to drive the needle into it.

A swift kick knocked him to the floor. He lost hold of the figure on the bed, who scrambled away from him. He coughed, the wind knocked entirely from his lungs. He looked up at the one who had kicked him. The first thing he saw was a circle with the letter “R” inside, stamped on the bottom of a pair of boots. He followed the boots up to a stern, familiar face. _Officer Shijima! But…how?_

“I always suspected someone was going after the Others,” Shijima said, glaring down at him.

He coughed again. “Why aren’t you…”

“What, fleeing in terror?” Shijima scoffed. “I’ve faced worse than _you_ before.” She placed her hands on her hips. “Now, are you going to tell me who you really are, or do I have to defeat you first?”

He shuddered. If his identity was revealed, it would mean the end of everything. Time to exercise the better part of valor and make a hasty retreat. He thrust his syringe arm up into Shijima’s stomach. As she doubled over in pain, he ran out onto the balcony and jumped over the edge to the ground below. He stumbled as he landed, but caught his balance and stood up. There was one more power he’d gotten from the Poison Memory, and he used it to transport himself away in a swirl of darkness.

His heart was still pounding as he removed the Gaia Memory several blocks away from the hotel. He’d attacked a _police officer_ , someone he _knew_ , and on top of that he’d let the target get away. This whole evening had been a disaster. What if he was caught?

He had to finish his mission before then. With shaking hands, he pulled the list with the rest of his targets from his pocket. Setsuko, he decided, could be dealt with later. The police would be too concerned about Shijima to wonder exactly what was happening with the creatures.

The next two targets had been created only a day apart, and they were both staying at…Seito University Hospital. He smiled grimly. People died in hospitals all the time. If the targets were staying there, there had to be something wrong with them already, so no one would look too closely if they died _before_ their time was supposed to be up. He’d pay them a visit tomorrow night.

**

The door to Setsuko’s hotel room burst open, and two men she’d never seen before ran in. “Where’s the Dopant?” asked the first man, clutching the fedora on his head.

“The—the what?” Setsuko asked. She shook her head. “The monster got away, but that’s not important now. It…it got Kiriko!”

Slowly, painfully, Kiriko stood up and rolled up her shirt to look at her injury. There was a purple circle roughly an inch in diameter where she’d been stabbed. Ugly purple lines crawled around it in a spiderweb pattern.

“I couldn’t see what was happening,” Setsuko admitted, “because I was pretending to be asleep. But…I heard someone say ‘Poison’ right before he attacked me.” She looked at the others fearfully. “What was in that giant needle?”

“Philip,” the first man said to his partner. The other man nodded in agreement. “We’ll find out how to counteract it,” he assured Kiriko.

“I…I don’t think it went in very deep,” Kiriko said. Still, her breathing sounded labored.

“Who _are_ you?” Setsuko demanded. “How did you know about that monster?”

“My apologies,” the man said. “I’m Hidari Shoutarou, and that’s my partner Philip.”

“We need to get her to a hospital,” Philip said, indicating Kiriko’s injuries. The purple lines were spreading outward.

“I’m sorry,” Setsuko said, tears filling her eyes. “You were here to protect me, and I...”

Kiriko shook her head. “It’s not your fault, Setsuko-san.”

“Oh!” Philip cried brightly, head turning towards Setsuko. “You’re the one Ankh was looking for! So that means…a Dopant is hunting down the Others.”

Shoutarou nodded grimly.

**Day 41**

Shingo paced nervously in the girls’ hospital room. “You worried about your partner?” Parad asked. Shingo nodded.

“What happened to her?” Rena asked.

“She’s in surgery,” Shingo said. “She was…well, I don’t want to go into details, but…she’s got something embedded in her stomach.” The tip of the Dopant’s syringe had broken off inside the wound, continuing to leech poison slowly into her bloodstream.

“She’ll be fine,” Parad assured him.

Emu put a comforting arm around Shingo’s shoulders. “She’s in the very best hands,” he said. “Hiiro-san has never failed yet.”

Shingo sighed. “We’d finally gotten a break on our case, and now this happens,” he said. “But that reminds me…I do have some good news for you.” He pulled Emu off to the side.

Ankh and Eiji came into the room. “Hello!” Eiji called to the girls. “Guess what?”

“Are we going to the beach again?” Tori asked.

“No,” Eiji said. “Or…we could, but that’s not what…”

“Tch!” Ankh said. “Just tell them, idiot.”

Eiji nodded. “We signed the papers on our new apartment today,” he said. “Which means, as soon as we have everything set up, you can come and stay with us.”

Tori was bouncing up and down in excitement. “We’re gonna be a family!”

Rena’s face was a mixture of happiness and pain. “For however long that lasts,” she said quietly.

Ankh caught her eye. “I think you’ll be stuck with us for a very long time,” he said with a satisfied smirk.

Rena’s mouth dropped open in shock. “But what about…?”

“Eh?” Eiji asked.

Ankh shook his head and clapped Eiji on the back. “It doesn’t matter now,” he said.

**

The man in the half-rimmed glasses stalked through the corridors of the hospital late that night. It was astonishing, really, how easy it was to blend in simply by putting on a doctor’s coat. Nobody paid him any attention, and if they did, they certainly weren’t trying to stop him from going anywhere.

He considered paying Shijima a visit, to finish what he’d started the night before, but ultimately decided against it. She hadn’t seen his face, after all, and _her_ death would raise too many questions. Apparently she’d come through surgery without any problems, and everyone expected her to be released in the morning.

He consulted his list again. The two targets were even in the same room. It would be a matter of only minutes to dispatch them both, discard the long white coat, and slip back out into the night.

He felt a moment’s uncertainty when he entered the room indicated on his list. He hadn’t known they were _children_. He looked down at the two sleeping figures in the hospital beds, his resolve hardening. They weren’t _really_ children, after all. They had only stolen the forms of children, which made them all the more dangerous. He stood between the beds and slid the Gaia Memory inside.

The smaller of the two woke from the sound of the Gaia Memory and let out a high-pitched shriek. “Rena!” it cried. “It’s the monster under the bed!”

“I’m not the monster here,” he snarled. “ _You_ are.”

The other one woke with a yelp and scrambled over to the smaller one’s bed, throwing its arms out protectively. “I won’t let you hurt her!” it said. He could hear the trembling in its voice.

“Oh?” he said with a sneer. “And how, exactly, are you going to stop me?”

“Run, Tori,” the larger one urged. “Run as fast as you can. Find Parad.”

The smaller one shook its head. “I’m not leaving you, Rena.”

The larger one rose to its feet on top of the bed and raised its fists in a poor attempt at a fighting stance. “Tori! Run!” The smaller one cowered behind her, frozen in fear.

“It will make no difference,” he told them both. “Your existence will end, as it was fated to.”

“I don’t believe in fate,” the larger one snarled. “I will make my own future.”

He leaned in closer, grabbing the figure with his left hand and pressing the tip of the syringe under its chin. “You have no future.”

A sharp pain in his shin made him flinch just enough for the figure to break out of his hold. He looked down to see the smaller one kick him again before darting out of the room. “Parad!” it shouted as it ran. “Parad! Help!”

The larger of the two ran into the bathroom and slammed its hands into the mirror, shattering it. The creature grabbed a large, jagged shard from the shattered glass and stared up at him, determined. “I don’t believe in fate,” it said again.

They circled around each other slowly. Why were these two so determined to fight him? And why did they care about protecting each other? Just as he was preparing to attack, the smaller creature ran back into the room, followed by two men in strange armor. One set of armor was orange with turquoise accents, the other turquoise with orange, and the designs mirrored each other. “We’ll clear this with no continues!” they declared simultaneously.

He faced off against the twin fighters, and quickly realized he was outmatched. If he let this fight go on much longer, his Gaia Memory would be destroyed and his identity exposed. He grabbed the smaller of his targets and used it as a shield. The fighters immediately froze. “That’s right,” he said. “Take one more step, and this one dies.” He pressed the tip of his syringe to its chest.

“Tori!” the larger one cried in terror. “Let her go, you bastard!”

He laughed. “You’ve almost got me convinced you actually care about this one,” he said. “As if _you_ could care about anyone.”

“Please, let her go,” the figure pleaded again. Were those tears in its eyes? “I’ll do anything. _Anything._ ”

“Would you take this one’s place?” he challenged, voice low.

“Yes.” The answer came firmly, without hesitation.

“Rena!” the blue fighter protested.

He considered for a moment. “Done.” He thrust the smaller of the two figures away, grabbed the larger one, and disappeared with the creature in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up being a really action-heavy chapter, which is why it's up a little later than usual...I usually have a harder time writing action vs. dialogue. Sorry-not-sorry for the cliffhanger ending. ;-)


	11. Day 42

**Day 42**

It was just after midnight when Shingo pounded on the door of the apartment across the hall. Eiji answered a minute later, Ankh a step behind him. “Shingo-san!” he cried. “What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry to wake you…” Shingo began.

“Oh, we weren’t sleeping,” Ankh said with a smirk. The tips of Eiji’s ears turned pink.

“Never mind that,” Shingo said. “Rena’s been kidnapped by a Dopant.”

“What?” Ankh cried.

Shingo nodded. “Emu just called me from the hospital.”

“If it was a Dopant, we need to let W know,” Eiji said. Ankh nodded and pulled out his phone to call Philip.

An hour later, they all gathered in the girls’ hospital room. Emu was sitting with Tori on his lap, gently stroking her hair.

“Can’t you just do that lookup thing you did before to find her?” Ankh asked Philip.

He shook his head. “It wouldn’t work in this instance.”

“What do you _mean_ , it won’t work?” Ankh demanded, grabbing the front of Philip’s shirt.

“Oi!” Shoutarou cried. “Get your hands off of him!”

“Ankh!” Eiji shouted.

“We need to find her _now_!” Ankh said desperately. “Unless…you think it’s already too late.” He let go of Philip’s shirt and turned away with a scowl.

“We’ll find her,” Shoutarou said gently.

Philip nodded. “There’s no official record of her existence,” he explained to Ankh, “so there’s no information on her in the Gaia Library.”

Ankh nodded tightly. “What about the one who took her?”

“That’s what we’re working on now,” Shoutarou said. “Once we determine the Dopant’s identity, we’ll be able to find his location.”

**

Rena let out a yelp as she realized they were no longer in the hospital. They appeared to be in an abandoned warehouse, judging by the cold air blowing in from a broken window on the other side of the large, empty building. The monster now resembled a middle-aged man in half-rimmed glasses. “What did you do?” she cried. “Where are we?”

The man hunched over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. “Used…too much…power,” he muttered, more to himself than to her. He stood up and stared at her. “I brought you here,” he said, “because…” He paused and frowned.

Rena huffed a laugh. “You panicked and couldn’t think of anything else to do?” she challenged.

He glared at her. “I know _exactly_ what I’m doing.”

“Are you still going to kill me?” she asked. “Or are you too much of a _coward_ to do it without your giant needle arm?”

“Shut up!” he spat. “You’ve seen my face. I can’t let you live.”

Rena had the horrible feeling that he meant it. “You’ve been killing the rest of the Others, haven’t you?” she asked. “Why are you doing it?”

“Because you shouldn’t exist,” he said, his voice steely and dangerously calm. “You’re not a real human, after all. You’re just a cheap copy.” He grabbed her arm and began dragging her across the room. Rena pulled and dragged her feet, but he was too strong for her. “Why did you take the other one’s place?” he asked as they walked.

“Her _name_ is _Tori_ ,” she said, “and I did it because I couldn’t let you kill her!”

“Why do you care?”

Rena’s mouth dropped open in shock. “You _really_ need to ask me that? Wouldn’t you die for your friends?”

He glared at her. “That’s not the point.” He grabbed a wrench from atop a stack of dusty crates and raised it over his head.

“Fine then,” Rena said, surprised by how calm her voice was. “Go ahead and kill me, if you can.”

He froze and stared at her in shock. Rena met his gaze. “Well?” she dared to ask after a long moment. “You can’t do it, can you? Is it because I’m _awake_? Or are you beginning to think that maybe you were wrong about us?”

“Shut up!” he snapped again. “I…I…” Slowly, he lowered his arm and let the wrench clatter to the floor. Rena breathed a sigh of relief. “I will let you live for now,” he conceded. “But I still can’t let you go.” He grabbed a length of rope, held Rena’s hands behind her back, and began wrapping the rope around them.

“You won’t get away with this,” Rena told him. “No matter what happens to me, the police know now that we’re not dying by accident. You’ll never get your hands on Tori or the rest of the Others now.” He didn’t answer her.

Once her hands were tied, he dragged her over to a pillar and used another rope to tie Rena to it. He looked behind her, examining the knots to make sure they were secure. He nodded, satisfied, and turned to walk away.

“Hey, wait!” Rena called frantically. “Where are you going?”

“Home,” he said simply.

“You can’t just _leave_ me here!” Her voice rose an octave with panic. “What if…what if I escape? What if my friends come and free me?”

“No, I don’t think you’ll be able to escape,” he told her. “And I doubt you’ll be found anytime soon…if there’s even someone looking for you.”

Rena’s face crumpled. “They _are_ ,” she protested quietly.

“We’ll see, won’t we?” he said. “Goodbye.” With that, he turned and left.

Rena fought against the ropes until her wrists were rubbed raw, but they were tied too tightly. She stood, shivering, exhausted but too afraid to sleep as the night slowly passed and the sun appeared over the horizon once more. _They’ll find me,_ she kept telling herself. _Eiji…Ankh…Shingo…Hina…Dr. Houjou…Parad…they’re all looking for me._

_They just better do it before he comes back._

**

Philip’s eyes flew open as he finished the lookup. “I know where the Gaia Memory is,” he said. “I was able to trace its location.”

“Where?” Ankh demanded quietly. It had taken all night to gather the information they needed. Tori had finally fallen back into a fitful sleep shortly before sunrise. Ankh had spent the entire time pacing back and forth anxiously.

“There’s an abandoned warehouse a few blocks north of here,” Philip said.

Ankh was off and running as soon as the words left Philip’s mouth, with Eiji right behind him. They found the warehouse easily and began walking around the perimeter to find an entrance. Ankh stepped on something hard in a patch of grass. With a scowl, he bent down and picked up a small, purple object with the word “Poison” stamped on the side. “So he _was_ here,” Ankh growled, “but we don’t know where he is _now._ ”

There was a door directly ahead of them. Eiji pushed, and it opened with a loud creak. “Hello?” he called.

“Eiji?” Rena’s voice called back. “Help! I’m tied up in here!”

They ran into the warehouse. “Are you all right?” Ankh asked as they reached her. Eiji immediately began untying the ropes that bound her to the pillar.

“Ankh!” Rena’s face broke into a huge smile. “I’ll be fine. I’m so glad you found me.”

There was a sharp intake of breath as Eiji winced behind them. “Hold very still,” he warned Rena. “I’m going to untie the rope around your hands. Were you trying to get yourself free?”

“Yeah,” Rena said, “but they’re tied too—aaah!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Eiji said. “It’s going to sting a bit…the rope is stuck to your skin now.”

Rena whimpered as Eiji unwound the rope as carefully as possible. “There,” he said at last.

She threw her arms around them both. They hugged her back, Ankh a bit more awkwardly than Eiji did.

“Thank goodness you’re all right,” Eiji said. “We were so worried about you.”

“I knew you’d come back for me,” Rena whispered.

Ankh broke away suddenly. “I hear something outside,” he said. “There’s a car coming.”

**

The man in the half-rimmed glasses took another slurp of still-too-hot coffee as he snuck into the morning meeting, hoping no one would notice that he was technically three minutes late. “This case is considered top priority,” the chief was saying. “I want her found as soon as possible.”

He nearly dropped his coffee in shock. There, on the screen, was a photo of his target from last night. Beneath the photo, it said, “Hino Rena. Age: ten years. Last seen: Seito University Hospital.”

He was still right next to the door to the meeting room. No one had noticed him come in, had they? Surely no one would notice if he left, either. He dropped the nearly-full coffee cup into the trash and ran for his car. The rush of adrenaline woke him faster than the caffeine would have, anyway. He sped off towards the warehouse, hands clutching the steering wheel. If anyone had found the creature…

He knew he should’ve just killed that one and been done with it. This time, he wouldn’t hesitate. He reached into his pocket for the Gaia Memory and nearly crashed the car when his fingers brushed against nothing. “Oh no!” he cried. “Where is it?” How could he have lost it? Had he dropped it in the warehouse? He drove with newfound determination and scrambled out of the car as soon as he reached the large abandoned building.

He was searching on the ground when a pointed black shoe ground his hand painfully into the dirt. “Looking for this?” a voice asked scornfully.

He winced and looked up at an almost-familiar face. “Izumi-san?” he asked. “What did you do to your hair?” It was half-shaved down one side and dyed a golden blond.

Izumi scoffed. “Answer the _fucking_ question. _Is this yours?_ ” He held up the Gaia Memory angrily.

He gulped. “Uh…what is that? I’ve, uh, I’ve never seen it before.”

Izumi glared and pulled him up by his shirt until their faces were only inches apart. “I don’t believe you.”

“That’s him! He’s the one!” called a familiar voice. They both turned to see a man with wild hair leading his target out of the warehouse.

He felt Izumi’s hand close around his throat. He choked, gasping for breath. There was a malicious gleam in Izumi’s eyes as his fingers tightened further.

“Ankh!” the wild-haired man called. “Stop! You can’t kill him.”

“Why the hell not?” Izumi—Ankh?—snapped. “It’s what he deserves.”

“We can’t be together if you’re in jail for murder,” the other man pointed out.

“Tch!” Reluctantly, Ankh’s fingers loosened. His eyes still burned with fury.

He doubled over, gasping for breath.

“Are you all right?” the other man asked, sounding only mildly concerned.

“Why do you _care,_ Eiji?” Ankh demanded.

“I—” he gasped. “I…I’m not…” He stumbled towards Ankh. As soon as he was in range, he swept his leg around, knocking Ankh’s legs out from under him and sending the blond tumbling to the ground. The Gaia Memory slipped from Ankh’s fingers as he fell, and he snatched it up before anyone else could. “I’m more than all right,” he boasted, “now that I have this.” He rolled up his shirt and slid the Gaia Memory inside.

_Poison!_

**

Shoutarou and Philip arrived at the warehouse just as the Dopant finished transforming. Shoutarou looked over at Eiji, who held his arm around Rena protectively. “Is she all right?” he called.

Eiji nodded. “Rena’s fine.”

“Thank goodness,” he said.

“We’ll take it from here,” Philip added. He walked over and helped Ankh to his feet. “I will ask you to return the favor momentarily,” he said. Ankh gave him a confused look. Philip and Shoutarou pulled out their own Gaia Memories. “Catch me when I collapse, if you would,” Philip explained as he pushed the Cyclone Memory into his belt.

Ankh did so, mostly by surprise, as Philip’s legs gave out from under him and his eyes slipped shut. The Cyclone Memory disappeared before Ankh’s eyes and reappeared in Shoutarou’s belt.

_Cyclone! Joker!_

Kamen Rider W was bright green on one side, and black with purple accents on the other, split evenly down the middle. A silver scarf waved around his—their?—neck, and a “W” appeared on the helmet across the forehead.

“Now!” the two men declared simultaneously as they faced the Dopant. “Count up your sins!”

The battle was brief. The Dopant, exhausted and desperate, was unable to put up much of a fight before W’s finishing move reduced the overused Gaia Memory to a pile of smoking bits.

“You’re a cop?” Shoutarou asked with disgust as they led the man away. “I’ve got a friend in the police department who will want to deal with you personally.”

Ankh gave a satisfied smirk as he watched them go.

“Is Tori all right?” Rena asked.

Eiji nodded. “She’s fine,” he assured her. “Everything’s all right now.”

**Day 43**

Kougami was wearing a chef’s hat and apron over his turquoise business suit when Ankh stalked into his office. “Ankh-kun!” he called jovially. “What can I do for you?” He cracked an egg into the large mixing bowl sitting on his desk and began whisking.

“Tori and Rena,” Ankh said without preamble. “They were created by Emperor Chaos, who stole his research from _your_ archives. Since he’s dead, that makes the girls _your_ responsibility.”

“Does it?” Kougami asked lightly.

“Yes,” Ankh said. “I have a proposal for you.”

Kougami’s eyes sparkled with amusement as he cracked another egg into the bowl. “All right, then. Go on. I’m listening.”

“I will provide care for them,” Ankh began, “along with food, shelter, clothing, furniture…school supplies…and other incidentals…for a fee, of course.”

Kougami’s laugh boomed through the office. “Indeed!” he said. “Satonaka-kun! What does that come out to?”

She pulled out her calculator and, after a few moments of calculations, passed it to Kougami. “That’s per month,” she said. He looked it over and nodded. She showed the calculator to Ankh. He had done his own calculations beforehand. Satonaka’s number was a bit less than he’d estimated, but surprisingly not by much.

Ankh nodded in agreement. “I accept,” he said. “And…I want half paid to me directly, every other week, and the other half applied to Eiji’s debt to you.”

Kougami shook his head. “That I cannot allow,” he said. “Hino-kun is the one who acquired the debt, so he is the one who must pay it back.”

“The only reason that idiot even _has_ the debt is because of me!” Ankh protested. “So it’s my responsibility as well.”

Kougami laughed again. “Wonderful!” he boomed. “You have _truly_ been reborn, Ankh-kun! I am so pleased to see it! Since you were bold enough to ask, I will grant your request.”

Ankh scowled. “You never brought a birthday cake for the Others,” he said to change the subject. “Tori likes chocolate.”

**Day 45**

“Welcome home!” Eiji declared, throwing open the door to their apartment. He and Ankh led the girls inside. “There’s not much here right now,” Eiji said apologetically. The large living room/dining room area was bare except for a futon along one wall, and a small wooden table in the middle with four mismatched chairs surrounding it.

“I love it!” Tori declared.

“Your bedroom is in here,” Eiji continued. “The two of you will have to share, since there’s only two bedrooms…”

“Look, Rena, bunk beds!” Tori shouted.

Rena smiled fondly at the other girl. “I call the top bunk,” she said. “Can we get a TV for in here?”

“Let’s get one for the living room first,” Eiji said. There was a knock on the door. “Can you get that, Ankh?” he asked. “It’s probably Shingo and Hina.”

“Whatever,” Ankh said. He walked back to the front door and opened it.

It was not Shingo or Hina on the other side. Satonaka stood there, holding a box with a tablet balanced on top. Kougami’s face grinned at him on the screen. “What the hell are _you_ doing here?” Ankh asked with a scowl.

“Now, now, that’s no way to talk to your housewarming party guests,” Kougami chided.

“Oh!” Eiji said, walking back into the room. The girls followed behind. “Hello, Satonaka-san!”

“A gift from the Chairman,” Satonaka said, setting the box down on the table. She sat the tablet next to it.

“I apologize, but my duties do not allow me to appear in person,” Kougami said. “To your new family: _Happy birthday!_ ”

Satonaka lifted the lid off of the box. A large chocolate cake was inside, with “Happy Birthday” written across the top in white frosting.

“Oooh, that looks yummy!” Tori said.

“Thank you,” Rena added cautiously. She looked between Satonaka and the man on the tablet, confused.

Ankh scowled. “Why are you _really_ doing this?”

Kougami chuckled. “Now, Ankh-kun, can’t I just do something nice for you?”

“You never have before,” he pointed out. “Not unless you want something from us.”

Kougami sighed. “Hino-kun, I _do_ need you to work a double shift this week…”

“You’ll pay him overtime, of course,” Ankh said before Eiji could respond.

Kougami pursed his lips. “Of course.”

**

Hina and Shingo came over that evening with some of Hina’s homemade sushi rolls for dinner. “You can come and visit us any time you want,” Hina told the girls. “We’re right across the hall.”

Rena gave her a small smile. “I’d like that,” she said. Hina beamed at her.

“Are we a real family now?” Tori asked.

Shingo nodded. “We’ve finished all of the official paperwork,” he told them. “You both have birth certificates now, and Ankh and Eiji are listed as your adoptive legal guardians.”

“I still say they should have had _my_ family name,” Ankh grumbled.

Eiji laughed. “Come on, Ankh, _I_ need some decent family members too.”

“You’ve both been enrolled in school, too,” Hina added. “I can take you shopping for back-to-school things before school starts next week.”

“Oh. Great,” Rena grumbled.

“D’you think we’ll see Keiko and Naoko?” Tori wondered. “I wonder if Keiko will be in my class.”

Shingo shook his head. “They live on the other side of town,” he explained, “so you won’t be at the same school as her.”

“I hope I make lots of friends!” Tori said.

“I’m sure you will,” Hina assured her.

“I never thought I’d have to worry about all that,” Rena said quietly. “Going to school, making friends…”

“You have your whole life ahead of you,” Eiji said.

Rena nodded. “I guess I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus ends our main story! I have some ideas for little epilogues that I'll post next week. Thank you to everyone who read and left kudos/comments! Your feedback really means a lot. This was such a fun story to write.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr: [toku-fangirl-2015](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/toku-fangirl-2015)


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